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The Heavy Heavy Hearts: Dirty Lies EP Review

Talk about a powerful debut. Los Angeles’ newest blues-infused band The Heavy Heavy Hearts have arrived, and their debut EP Dirty Lies is enough to make any rock ‘n roll enthusiast take notice. Released shortly after the band formed last fall, Dirty Lies places The Heavy Heavy Hearts on the must-watch list for 2013.

Featuring Beau James Wigington on lead vocals and guitar, Anthony Mancini on lead guitar, Clark Singleton on bass and Ralph Alexander on drums, The Heavy Heavy Hearts launch Dirty Lies with its namesake track, a song that starts out fuzzy à la The Black Keys before cueing a hefty drumbeat and turning up the volume. The boys reveal a bit of their country influences on “Pair of Broken Hearts” by matching gospel-styled keyboard riffs with the plucking of a recurring banjo. “Pair of Broken Hearts” emerges as one of the EP’s most telling songs, a melting pot of genres that applies irresistible beats from start to finish and allows Wigington to put his voice through its paces. “Bottom of the Bottle” finds The Heavy Heavy Hearts speeding things up again as Wigington revives the time-honored blues tradition of facing inner demons as the song’s narrator engages in a battle that lands him at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

While songs like “Dirty Lies” and “Bottom of the Bottle” show the group leaning heavily into rock and the frenetic pace of “Lonely Man” embodies any drummer’s musical paradise, The Heavy Heavy Hearts never stray far from their old blues roots. “Your Man” centers the record with an easygoing and very bluesy opening riff, giving its listeners a breather as the band brings their music to new depths. Dirty Lies winds down with “Out On My Own,” a reflective track that acts as a sobering reminder of the band members’ shared youth. Despite the considerable skill and controlled musical power presented on this first record, The Heavy Heavy Hearts are just getting started – and the road ahead is looking good.

The Review: 9/10

The Big Hit

– Dirty Lies

Review by Meghan Roos

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